Chapter 26: Nightmares and Prophecies
"Yoshi?" A voice echoed through the corridors of the vast, mosaic residence. "Yoshi, where are you?" The empty manor carried the sound for what felt like miles, illuminating the dark places with its gentle worry. The place had stood empty for ages; a relic from a time long past, with untold secrets still hidden in its depths.
The small boy didn't care, however. Though his mother called for him, he was excited to be exploring this new, musty old place. His footsteps echoed on the cold, stone floor as he walked down the corridor, his right hand out to the side, pressed against the blocks of granite that made up the walls.
He passed columns as he walked, large monuments of marble, two on each side of the small hallway, with ten feet between each pair. The little boy had to look up to see the adornments, set at the top of each seven foot column, but they were truly incredible to see. Each decorated with solid, black onyx, fashioned in the form of a serpent's head, with its maw open and two long, thick fangs crafted from solid gold hanging down out of the creature's mouth. Rubies set into the eyes of the snakes gave them a devilish glare, and as the boy walked, it felt as if these glowing red eyes turned to watch him, and he thought every now and then that he could see water dripping from the golden fangs, as if the serpents, alive and hungry, were simply waiting for an opportunity to strike.
There were few who had dared to come to this place, afraid for the horrors said to lay within. A few lost souls had made attempts on the wealth of the structure, and the ornately crafted treasures often rumored to be held within. None had ever returned, however, and the manor had been sealed off. Many believed it to be haunted.
Most children avoided it out of fear of the ghosts said to dwell in the house of evil, and in time it had faded into obscurity, an urban legend to keep the locals away and nothing more. The young boy now walking its corridor was the first to set foot in this terrible place in over a hundred years, and the clusters of dust he kicked up as he walked only served to prove it.
"Come on, Yoshi, this isn't funny!" Curiosity spurred the boy onward, approaching a strong, wooden door at the end of the hallway. Steel framed the door, and a cast iron ring served for a handle, to swing the door open or to push it shut. Yoshi's curiosity was piqued further by the door; even though his family's business carried him and his baby sister everywhere in the country, this entire structure was unlike anything he had ever seen in Japan.
Taken further by his curiosity, the boy gripped the cold handle in his small, delicate fingers, before pulling on the massive obstruction with all the strength he could muster. The door, however, stood firmly shut. Even against the boy's strongest efforts, the door simply refused to budge. His muscles strained and his arms began to ache, and he pulled with all the effort he had, but to no avail. It was simply too heavy.
"Yoshi! Come here right this second!" Dejected, beaten, the boy's strength finally waned. Releasing his grip on the strong, heavy door, he started slowly back down the hallway, dragging his feet against the cold, hard stone. Maybe one day, when he was older, perhaps he could come back to this place and find out what lay beyond the door that would not open. Maybe some day...
"Yoshi..."
A voice whispered in the stagnant air, and the little boy stopped firmly in his tracks. Fear gripped his heart when he heard the quiet, hissing sound traveling from the door behind him.
"Yoshi...come to me, Yoshi...come..."
Turning back towards the door, the child was terrified to see it slowly begin to swing open, leaving in its wake an open doorway for him to pass through. A cold wind blew through the hallway, ushered from the room that had laid still for ages unknown, and the boy knew a fear unlike anything he had ever known. Something inside was beckoning for him to come, calling to him to enter, and he was afraid for what it could mean. He'd heard stories of ghosts and monsters that were rumored to haunt this place; had he fallen into one's trap?
"I...I don't..." the boy stammered, but the voice came once more.
"Come to me, Yoshi...do not be afraid. Come..."
A cold chill ran down the boy's spine when he heard the terrible voice, but something about it beckoned him forward. Against all his best instincts, he moved back towards the door, passing his small frame through the massive opening, to face whatever terrifying spirit called out for him to come.
As he passed through the door, he entered into a grand chamber, with at least thirty feet between the floor and the ceiling. There were no other doors decorating this hall, and half the chamber was filled with an image that he had never imagined before. Adorning the far half of the chamber was a structure greater than he could ever imagine, carved of solid onyx rock. A massive black snake lay motionless, with its head raised and its maw open. The head nearly touched the ceiling, and the solid gold fangs carved into the structure were the most beautiful gold he had ever seen before. Its evil, ruby eyes seemed to follow him where he went, and he knew without a doubt that the columns in the previous hallway were merely tokens, tributes to the glory of this massive structure before him.
Any grown man would have been terrified at the sight that rested here in this house of death, but the young boy was not. Though the snake was an imposing and powerful figure, the boy couldn't help but feel drawn to it. As he stepped closer, he saw something at the base, laid against the snake's neck, just below where it raised up to the head. There was a parchment there, something ancient and forgotten, that he felt compelled to see. Crawling beneath the creature's neck, the boy's fingers gripped the scroll, pulling it slowly out for him to see.
It was a strange and ancient parchment, and the dust caked his fingers the moment he touched it. A relic of a time long since forgotten, written by a people who had faded from memory, this was a discovery that no one had laid eyes upon since the dawn of civilization. But the boy was too young to appreciate such a find, and his only thoughts now were the curiosity that drove him to slip the parchment from its place at the base of the snake's neck. Laying it down gently on the floor and sitting down to look at it, the boy's eyes began to follow the ink across. Though he could not understand the strange dialect or many of the characters which had faded from usage in the ages, the images compelled him, as he looked up and down the strange, foreign parchment.
Images of disaster and terror assaulted his eyes, but he found himself compelled to see more. A giant snake tearing a great castle to pieces. A woman with three eyes choking up blood, with the serpent's silhouette behind her. Numerous strange and terrifying beasts, each with the snake risen above them all. There was fire and bloodshed, and horrifying creatures that would make even the strongest of men terrified. And yet the boy was compelled to see more. He had to–
"That's it, Yoshi!" The boy's mother called once more. "If you don't come here right this instant, we're going to Kyoto without you!" The boy was torn now, frightened of being left behind in this scary place. Thinking quickly, he dropped the scroll quickly into his bag, to take it with him. Running back out the door, he promised himself he'd come back here again when he found the time. Maybe some day he would learn to read the characters on the scroll, and could learn more about this terrifying, but wonderful story, with only three words, inked thick and black, that he was able to make out: Black Snake Prophecy.
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"At the dawning of the new age, what began eons before shall finally find its way back to the surface. When the forces of righteousness stand triumphant in the house of evil, and the temple of conflict and chaos turns aside its bloodlust to allow the just to stand triumphant in its ritual of blood, the world shall bear witness to the greatest testament of chaos, and the road to destruction will reveal itself once more, in the eyes of the serpent.
Twice scorned and lost to sands of time, the nightmares of ages long forgotten begin to grow, and the horror of the Demon Queen lurks once more in the dark corners of existence. At last, there will come a Champion, an emissary of the Queen. He, alone, shall hear Her voice and feel Her power. He, alone, shall stand where no other can, and walk the roads that apparition and demon alike cannot.
He will gather the Four, the pieces of lifegiving to restore the nobility of the mighty Queen. The opposing forces shall align themselves in a unity forged in agony and pain. Demon and Spirit, Innocence and Wrath, shall all come together and give birth to the Age of Destruction.
The Flesh, formed of a vessel of Innocence, shall be Her hand and guide Her back. The Eye, echoing its shadows of Demonic power, shall open the way and carve the passage for Her. The Blood, the pure, sanctified blood of a human psychic, shall lubricate Her entrance and sanctify the Flesh for Her return. And the Heart, torn from the Queen Herself, shall join with the Body, the Eye, and the Blood, and make them Hers.
And then there will come a time of great uncertainty. Wars will be fought along the surface, and all the forces of demon and spirit will come together in conflict. The righteous shall triumph, and justice shall stand firm against the lingering darkness, and there will be a time of peace. Against the tide of chaos, there will be order, and heroes will stand proudly in their victory.
The walls will shake, and the worlds will break, and order will suddenly come crashing to a halt. The castle of justice in the land of spirits will be shattered, and order and goodness shall bleed. Where there was once hope, there shall be only death. They will not know Her, they will not see Her, and they will not stop Her until the time has passed. Time shall stand still, but for a single moment, where the one lasting truth shall be known to all who walk upon the three worlds: the Queen has returned.
Blood will wash over the worlds, and the darkness shall bring war to all who pray for peace. The chambers of the damned shall throw themselves open at the coming of Her Champion, and the armies of darkness shall rise from the pits of the greatest hells. Their war will be merciless, and their wrath shall be unmatched, save for that of the Queen Herself. Soon, there will be no life left in the worlds. Only death."
Twelve years had passed since that fateful day, and since then the boy had become more than a man. He had become a wraith, a spector that haunted the imaginations of the people, and possibly the first true wraith the world had ever faced. An astral projection gone horribly wrong, he was free of the boundaries of the flesh, free to take any vessel he chose. Now he had returned, as he had so many times before, to her temple in the human world.
On his knees before the statue of the black snake, he slowly furled the prophecy back up before raising his head to look at the mouth. He had taken a camper this time, to bring him to this place. He enjoyed the young, female bodies more than anything, and he never had much trouble finding a new one. The girl's protests were nothing to him anymore; he barely even heard them. "I have done as you asked, my Queen." Bowing the girl's head, he spoke to the silent, empty room. "I don't know if you can still hear me now, where you've gone. But everything is being prepared. It's almost time. You've waited for so long, but now it's almost time."
A deep breath, and a moment of silence as he contemplated the events that had gone by in the past couple days. He had returned to this chamber so many times before, during his harder crises. Over the past three years, this place had become a second home to him, where he could let down his guard and be free of his burdens. He'd been strong for a very long time, and he knew his queen was proud of him. Slowly rising back to his feet, he forced the girl's mouth into a faint smile.
If his followers could see him now, they'd be shocked. The great leader of their order, the head of everything and the mastermind of the queen's rebirth, standing silently just to think. "It's been a long time, your majesty, but it's almost ready. One day...maybe one day you can show me how to be stronger. Teach me how to be powerful, like you." No response came in this chamber, as he
knew none would. He was speaking now more to himself than anyone else, and he knew it.
"Maybe one day," he said to himself, before turning back towards the wooden door that led into the chamber. "For now...I'll have to be strong on my own for just a while longer. You're not going to raise yourself, after all." One more forced smile, before he stepped slowly back out the door.
"Megumi." A powerful voice echoed through the halls of the temple, catching the former Reaper by surprise. She turned quickly, to find herself looking into the eyes of a young girl, dressed in a green jacket and brown slacks. She knew without having to ask that it was her master, Yoshi Tsarakino, that she was looking at now. "Where is my beast?" He asked without hesitance, and without a care to tact. She knew as well as anyone that he was the boss, and to fall in line. It was a power hierarchy she greatly respected; the lines were very clear and the rungs perfectly established. There was order to it.
Megumi answered without hesitance, speaking directly to the leader whose strength she respected. "I've done as you ordered, Lord Tsarakino. The beast is in the dungeon, waiting for his time. What is your next order?" Yoshi had grown to like Megumi more than most of the others, specifically for her ability to fall in line. She knew where she was on the hierarchy, and he never had to explain his motives.
"My next order is for you to stay here, Megumi." Yoshi turned the girl's head to the side, thinking to himself. "I need to return to the temple in Makai. See how Kitrone is handling things, and make sure that the Spirit Detective finds himself dead. Once he's been dealt with, we start the attack. I'm going to need that beast, though; that creature is pivotal to the war. You are to take care of it, Megumi. Keep it...well fed..."
Megumi didn't even have to ask what Yoshi meant by that. "Yes, sir. How long should I plan on waiting?"
"One month," Yoshi said. "It will take one month for the beast to be at full strength, after his ride. After that, we strike. You'll be here for one month, so make yourself comfortable. Any further questions?"
"No, sir," Megumi spoke neutrally. "I understand perfectly. If anyone comes too close to the temple, I think my Banshee Fist should be able to neutralize it. More food for the beast."
"Good," Yoshi smirked, his trademark cocky smirk. "Sigure did a good job installing those. I'll have to remember to send him an...I don't know...a fruit basket or something. Do they make demonic fruit baskets?" Yoshi was silent a moment as he contemplated this question. "Eh, anyways, I need to get going. I trust you'll take care of everything."
"Um..." Megumi started to ask, "What...what should I do with your current body?"
Yoshi laughed, a sound that somewhat bothered Megumi every time she heard it. He had the creepiest laugh, filled with about as much boyish charm as a coat rack, made even creepier by the girl body he often infested. "I just told you to feed the beast, didn't I?"
Megumi blinked for a moment, registering the words. "Oh...right. Of course."
Yoshi stepped closer, looking right up at Megumi, the girl's face just under her chin. "Do I detect hesitance, Megumi?" Worry attacked Megumi's heart for a moment, but she was surprised at the tone with which Yoshi spoke. There was no anger or distrust in the voice he used; rather, there was amusement in it.
"No, sir," Megumi responded quickly. "Just...doing a bit of adapting still."
"You can't let it get to you," Yoshi smirked. "Remember, we're going to change the worlds. There will be war and chaos on an unimaginable scale before we're done. We're trying to create a GODDESS, and the Queen will want her throne back. There will be a war for that, and untold amounts of blood are going to be shed. That is the reality of our responsibility." He turned the girl's head back towards the chamber where he'd come, thinking. "In which case, what's a few lives destroyed? They'd be lost anyway when the war comes."
"Sir..." Megumi struggled only a little with Yoshi's words.
"In the end," Yoshi laughed, "it's all about power. We have it. We are Her elite, Her chosen, Her soldiers in the war. Don't worry too much for the weak, Megumi. They live to be devoured. That's how it always works." It was a strength she could admire, a strength Koenma and the others had lacked. She long respected Yoshi for his strength, even if she was still struggling a bit with his complete lack of respect for anything even resembling compassion.
In the end, she realized, the man was dedicated. Completely and absolutely dedicated to his queen, at the cost of all else. He had devoted his life to her service, she knew that much. She didn't know the story of his past, but she didn't need to. He told as much with the way he spoke and the actions he committed; he would act, without hesitance and without mercy, on anything the Queen ordered. He was her knight, her emissary, her...
"Now, I need to get going," Yoshi looked back to Megumi. "You know what to do. Get it done." Those were the last orders he gave her in this body, before he released his grip from it. Soon, he was gone, off to find a small rip to take back to Makai. And she was left with the prisoner; with the beast's meat.
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"AAAAAHHH!" Kuwabara raced back towards the campfire, stumbling over a tree root before doing a faceplant into the dirt. The impact shut him up, much to Hiei's eternal gratitude.
"Dare I ask what pathetic reason you have for your horrid wailing this time?" Looking down from the branch of the tree he had chosen as his resting place for the night, Hiei's eyes glared menacingly at Kuwabara. He hated being disturbed, and this had happened too often of late.
Yusuke sighed. Maybe bringing Kuwabara wasn't the best idea; he was a good guy, but he had his moments, and he'd been having too many of them since they'd come to Makai. They had started to build a campfire to rest for the night, in the Forest of Lost Souls. Kuwabara had been sent to find some firewood, but he freaked about being sent into the demon woods alone. "Okay, Kuwabara...what was it this time?"
"There was a-a-a thing...a thing crawled on my foot and-and it had jaws the size of Shorty's hair!"
One venomous glare from Hiei and a resigned sigh from Yusuke later, the Spirit Detective decided he needed to try a different approach. "Look, Kuwabara...there's nothing here, okay? If there is, we'll back you up. Now, if you need someone to go with you–"
"Or you could just try shutting up," Hiei scoffed. "There's no reason to coddle the manchild, Yusuke. Besides," Hiei smirked to himself, "he's probably put us all in danger with his incessant screaming. He'll...wake the trees..." Yusuke raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Kuwabara crawled quickly over to Hiei, desperate to know. "They don't call it the Forest of Lost Souls for nothing, fool. If you continue making that shriek, the tree monsters will wake up. They can be fierce and relentless, and they will not stop until they have devoured you alive."
"Tree monsters!" Kuwabara was about to freak again, but realized the importance of Hiei's words. Clapping his own hands over his mouth, he muttered something unintelligible. "Hvv vz oo ztpp vmm". When all he got was an annoyed look from Hiei, he lowered his hand. "How do you stop them?"
"Oh, I don't know," Hiei laid back, trying to mask the grin that was straining to appear on his face. "They can be fooled; they hunt by searching for things with legs. You can trick them by..." he considered a moment, searching for the stupidest, most outlandish thing he could find... "...sticking your pants to a rock or tree."
Yusuke was struggling not to laugh, while Kuwabara looked back and forth at all the trees around them. This was really mean, but...Makai didn't exactly have too many forms of entertainment, so he decided to let this continue. "Now," Hiei continued, "go look for firewood, or I will kick you out there myself. But remember...if you scream, the tree monsters will eat you."
After Kuwabara had reluctantly gone, Yusuke finally let himself laugh, as he took a seat on a log while waiting for the firewood. "Tree monsters, Hiei? Really?"
Hiei shrugged his shoulders, and returned to his position on the tree branch. "They could exist. Somewhere."
"You do realize," Yusuke started, "that you've condemned us to Kuwabara coming back without pants."
Hiei shrugged his shoulders. "There is nothing that fool could do that could possibly make him look any stupider than he has since we came here. Why should I start caring now?"
"Boys!" A voice from the sky called down, which shook Hiei from his resting place into a sitting position, and made Yusuke turn his head up. "There you are! I've been looking all over!" Swooping down on the oar she had always ridden, the beautiful apparition Botan dropped through the branches, coming to a stop just above the dead fire pit Yusuke had built.
"Botan?" Yusuke started, but was interrupted.
"What are you doing here?" Hiei demanded coldly. "You shouldn't be here, especially now." His voice carried anger, but his eyes betrayed the worry he refused to show outwardly. Makai was a dangerous place, and the Forest of Lost Souls even more so.
Botan spoke quickly and excitedly, trying to deliver her message. "I came to tell you! Something happened back in the human world; it's terrible! Yusuke, you need to–" There came a horrible interruption from the woods, as the red-haired human came barreling back.
"BOTAN!" Kuwabara shrieked. "What are you doing! You shouldn't be talking so loud! You probably woke the trees up...QUICK! GIVE ME YOUR PANTS!"
...a moment passed. Then another. Botan struggled with every ounce of emotional strength she had just to find words to respond. "...I...uh..." Yusuke couldn't help but start laughing, while Kuwabara just looked dumbfounded between him and Botan.
"Uh...what's going on?" he asked, but the only response he got was laughter from Yusuke and blank, speechless expression from Botan.
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"This complicates things," the crocodile snarled, only a hundred feet from the campsite. Tarvus, the crocodile demon, turned his eyes back towards the campsite. "They have another with them...the apparition." A low growl emanated from his throat, before he looked up into the branches where his master lay in wait.
"This changes nothing," the robed demon Kitrone smiled. "Just one more body. I've got the order from Lord Tsarakino, Tarvus. You have your men, and we have our orders. It's time. Lord Tsarakino wants the blue-haired woman, but for the other three..." Disappearing into the darkness of the woods, only her voice lingered for Tarvus, though it was an order he hardly needed. "...leave none alive."
